LOS ANGELES -- In the first inning Tuesday night, Giants ace Logan Webb struck out Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Max Muncy. But it wasn't a positive stretch.
Webb gave up a run in the inning because the other two stars in the lineup -- Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman -- had hits, and he was also forced to throw 29 pitches by a group that will absolutely wear pitchers down all season. Webb ended up giving up five in a short start, and the lineup could never catch up.
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The Giants lost 5-4 at Dodger Stadium, guaranteeing a losing first road trip. Kyle Harrison will try to prevent a sweep on Wednesday night.
After Webb departed, Landen Roupp, Taylor Rogers and Ryan Walker worked through trouble to keep the Dodgers at five runs. The Giants chipped away and had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the eighth, when Michael Grove lost his command and put two runners on. But Thairo Estrada popped up and LaMonte Wade Jr. bounced out on the first pitch from closer Evan Phillips.
Jung Hoo Lee ripped a single to right in the ninth to reach base for a sixth consecutive game to start his career, but Matt Chapman struck out to end the game.
Here are the takeaways as the Giants fell to 2-4:
San Francisco Giants
It's A Grind
After throwing 29 pitches in the first, Webb momentarily caught his breath against the bottom of the lineup. But Betts came up again with one out in the third and drove a low changeup for his fifth homer in eight games. He became just the second player to take a changeup from Webb that was low and out of the zone and deposit it in the seats, joining Colorado's Charlie Blackmon. Per Inside Edge, Webb had held hitters to a .138 average on that pitch.
The Dodgers saw 21 more pitches in the third, and they finally knocked Webb out in the fourth. Gavin Lux drove in a run with a double and Kiké Hernandez added two with a single, and when Webb walked Ohtani on his 96th pitch, Bob Melvin came to get him.
Webb failed to complete five innings just once last year, when he led MLB. He allowed more than four runs in just three of 33 starts.
Keeper With A Curve
The Giants are off on Thursday, but Roupp might be busy. He should spend that time locking down a rental for the rest of the season.
Roupp threw two eye-opening innings in relief of Webb, striking out four and allowing two baserunners. He threw his curveball 25 times and the league's best lineup had no answer.
Roupp threw his curve three times to Muncy after falling behind 2-0, getting a strikeout. Hernandez went down on three straight and Betts, the hottest hitter in baseball, grimaced after taking one for the second out of the sixth.
Roupp has thrown four scoreless innings on his first big league road trip, striking out five. Despite having only 15 career appearances above A-ball, he has been the most reliable reliever through the first week.
On The Board
Jorge Soler's power was missing in the spring and over the first five games, but Melvin said on Tuesday afternoon that he felt the new DH was close. That proved to be a premonition.
Soler picked up his first homer as a Giant with a solo shot off lefty Ryan Yarbrough in the sixth inning. Yarbrough, the Dodgers' bulk innings guy, hung a curveball and Soler hit a moonshot that landed a few feet beyond the wall in left.